You Had Me at Hello
by SkelaFredrick
Summary: People talk about love, soulmates, so when one knows they had that, they will do what they must to get it back. A St. Berry story.
1. Hello

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, nor do I own any part of Glee because if I did things would have ended differently and there would be no point for me to write this. :] Also I do not own any of the songs used.

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><p>She couldn't help being entranced in his familiar voice as it filled the theatre, her eyes watching his every move and never tearing them away from him as if she was possessed. Even as she knew she should be with the rest of her team, she couldn't force herself to move as if her feet were an actual part of the floor. Her eyes stung to see him again as if haunted by a ghost that would never go away, his voice a forever song that stuck in her head, unwilling to leave. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even her dads, but she didn't want to forget him. Forgetting would mean that she was over him, which was something that wasn't true at all, even though Finn had professed his love for her, <strong>he<strong> was still stuck in her head and most importantly, her heart.

Even when she finally found the ability to move, it was hardly even a few feet, his voice still like a call straight out to her and she found herself staring into the face of one Jesse St. James. Maybe it was only hope, a very unbelievable hope, an impossible hope, but she would swear that when his eyes swept the audience he was looking to find a certain pair of brown eyes. Her very own eyes, trying to resist the urge to catch his, to be drawn back into his charms, but she knew better, her wounds were still too fresh, the pain still way too real. So as Jesse finished the song, his eyes found the retreating form of one very familiar brown haired beauty, and he forced himself to look away, getting carried away by the applause, a well practiced show face on.

Rachel couldn't stop herself from going to talk to her mother, her speech perfect, just like she had rehearsed and the outcome was even as she expected. She couldn't even shed a tear over it, as she went to join her team, the night blurring into a rush until finally the moment she had been waiting for happened. After the judging, the winners were to be announced, Aural Intensity a mere runner up, leaving victory looming right in their reach and Rachel and Jesse shared a glance at each other as Aural Intensity was dismissed. Rachel had earlier faked a glance at the judges, her eyes had really landed on Jesse, she had missed him, even after what he'd done and she wouldn't admit why. Admitting why would mean these feelings were real and that she had been faking her emotions with Finn, which she wouldn't accept.

She couldn't deny that after their eyes had shared a moment, connecting once again, that she knew they both felt something, the loneliness awakening, a yearning rekindled and she struggled to put on her most confident of show faces. She believed New Directions would win, her hands clasped tightly to Artie's and Mercedes', she knew in these moments no one in the team doubted their most certain victory. Which is why when Sue announced the winner, everything seemed so deathly silent.

"And now, your 2010 Midwest Regional Show Choir Champion-" A pause as Jesse and Rachel took another chance to glance at each other, most reading it as a simple action as if to intimidate the other, but under it all there was more. "- Vocal Adrenaline."

Sound exploded once more, Vocal Adrenaline going crazy with excitement, and Rachel had to admit her disappointment. Her face fell, the show face falling, her heart sank, all their so tightly grasped hands had released when the breath they had been holding in was knocked out of them by the results. Jesse was in the spotlight, lifted up by his team as he held the trophy over them, literally, New Directions getting a tiny trophy that was a mere consolation prize.

Jesse chanced a glance over at Rachel, careful to keep a show face on for his team, but the broken look on one brunette's face nearly destroyed his resolve. The look seemed even worse than when he broke the egg on top of her head, he had the impulse to rush over, and an emotion he had ignored was swelling up inside of him almost too much to endure. Yet it was only through his acting skills and rigorous training that he was able to crush the feeling, also looking away helped to kill it. Victory was tainted, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth and he couldn't help, but feel guilt, even as they carried the trophy off stage, her face haunted his mind. If only things could have ended differently.

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><p>The bus ride back to Lima was quiet, Rachel didn't even find any comfort in the fact that Finn was sitting next to her, even holding her hand. She gazed out the window, she felt both disappointment and as if the trophy had been unrightfully taken from her and New Directions. The knowledge that glee would now be over hung in the air, a subject no one dared to talk about for fear it would make it real.<p>

She could hear Finn's voice, but if fell on deaf ears, her mood not one willing to be lightened and soon even he shut up. Yet, in her mind, Jesse's voice was still there singing Bohemian Rhapsody, it was just as perfect as it had been when he performed, well except he wasn't performing with her. She knew if they had been together on stage the whole thing would be moot point, two powerful, high achieving, success orientated stars would have stolen Regionals and that is exactly what she and Jesse are. Upon arriving back at McKinley High School, Rachel bolted from the bus, leaving Finn confused, but she didn't look back as she made her way to the car.

She climbed into the back of her father's car, both of them in the front seat, Leroy driving while Hiram was in the passenger seat, both appearing confused. Rachel has always been a diva, but for her to not enter the car either yelling with joy or screaming in anger was bizarre to say the least. They were expecting either of the options, but the silence wasn't even something they thought would happen. Hiram decided it was best to say something, his curiosity now piqued.

"So… How did Regionals go?" Hiram asked, in a gentle tone, ready for the explosion of either rage or joy, but once again both men were to be surprised.

"Amazing… you should have seen it, he was flawless up there, the choreography outstanding, his voice was perfectly harmonized and really the outcome was no surprise when I think about it."

Leroy smiled, "I'm glad Finn did so well, sounds like you nabbed the trophy after all, surprised you didn't come show it to us though."

He glanced back in the rearview mirror to see Rachel's face that broke out into a smile as she laughed, and he kept driving on.

"Oh Dad, I wasn't talking about Finn! His voice could never have done that song justice, I'm talking about Jesse."

Hiram notice Leroy tense slightly, although they had never pried too deeply in exactly how Jesse and Rachel broke up, they knew he really hurt her. When they did break up Rachel had kept everything quiet, but they suspected that her fellow glee members knew why, but respected Rachel's wish to not dig into her 'romantic' life. Hiram cleared his throat, putting his hand on Leroy's forearm and sliding it down to grasp his hand and intertwine their fingers, rubbing circle in the back of Leroy's hand to sooth him. Leroy visible calmed down, but Hiram was the one to speak, just in case.

"Oh what was he singing?"

"Bohemian Rhapsody, I wish you could have been there and heard it, it was nearly flawless, and it could have been flawless if I was the one to sing with him, but that would have been impossible."

Hiram smiled, the sparkle in Rachel's eyes at talking about Jesse didn't go unnoticed by him, however Leroy was completely blind to it, just knowing Jesse had hurt her was enough to cause anger to boil up inside him. Hiram had to rub circles into Leroy's hand in another attempt to comfort him, the love Rachel still held for Jesse evident as she continued to rant on about Jesse's performance. He hadn't seen Rachel smile this much in a while, the break up had shaken her and yet the same person who had caused her pain was now bringing joy back to her. Rachel was completely lost in her own thoughts, her rant on Jesse finally coming to a close, she wished she had a way to hear him sing again and so she went back in her memories to when they sang 'Hello'.

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><p>Summer passed in a flash, her memories only blurs of displays of love between her and Finn, songs she practiced and a few musicals she attended. Yet even with Finn by her side as she walked down the halls of McKinley High School, she felt a loneliness she had felt building up all summer long. The phrase 'it's lonely on top' seemed to pop in her head, fitting perfectly to her mood, she finally had Finn, she was 'on top' and yet she was lonelier than any time before. Pushing the feeling aside they made their way to the glee meeting where Mr. Schuester found it necessary to remind everyone of Jacob Ben Israel's latest nasty blog comments. A few touching words later and Mr. Schuester's comment on glee needing to expand, that glee needed new members and Rachel joined in on it.<p>

"Yeah Mr. Schuester's right you guys, you didn't see Vocal Adrenaline at Regionals, they were epic, we're going to need more voices in order to beat them."

Finn automatically agreed with Rachel, taking his spot up next to Rachel, who was standing up by Mr. Schuester. Giving another speech to the rest of the glee club, Mr. Schuester announced that Nationals would be at New York City this year and the excitement was evident. They started formulating a plan to recruit more people by deciding to take the music to them, so they quickly got ready to sing in front of the school in the school's courtyard. Donning their clothes of black 'New York City' shirts along with black pants and bling they burst out singing 'Empire State of Mind'.

The only reaction to the song was the glee members' reactions which were one of pure disappointment and bewilderment. No one had even paid attention, sure a couple of kids nodded their head, but none took any further notice to the glee members. Rachel didn't even care as she made her way out of the school, once again ignoring her boyfriend to go find solace in some silence. However as soon as she found herself alone in her car, she felt her thoughts overwhelming her. What if she failed the glee club in finding more members? What if they wouldn't even be able to compete? What would she do if all she worked for was to be destroyed just by the fact they were short one member? Who would be willing to join the glee club given they are unpopular and anyone who joined would start being slushied?

She remembered seeing a girl admiring her while she sang, the girl was small and petite with big black framed glasses that made her face seem small. If Rachel could get this girl to join, she would save the glee club, be a hero and maybe this could feel the empty void that had settled in her heart. Once the thought of emptiness popped into her head, it was hard to shake it, the empty, lonely feeling that had grown ever since Regionals, and ever since one Jesse St. James.

There his name was again, in her mind, plaguing her thoughts, spreading like a disease, it made it impossible to even think of anything else. She could remember him perfectly, his cocky grin that was a signature to him, his blue eyes that were always sparkling and then his gorgeous, curly brown hair. Even as she thought of him she had a desire to be able to tangle her fingers in his brown locks one more time, the desire to stare into his blue eyes and the desire to feel his lips on hers. His signature look of dark clothing, usually jean jacket, or a leather jacket, but always stylish, something Rachel found herself failing at. She couldn't help, but smile, because Jesse had never insulted her attire, where many people commented on her awkward clothing, he always told her she looked beautiful.

She nearly had to slap herself to stop thinking, realizing that the silence was in fact a bad thing, so she made a point to listen to music when she got home. She came home to an empty house, which was a very common thing that happened, with both her dads working; she very often was home alone. The only person who knew just how often she was alone was Jesse, since they had both taken advantage of her father's absences before, which lead to many make out sessions with very few times they were ever interrupted. Usually Rachel didn't mind the empty, silent house, but today the last thing she wanted was silence, especially when everything reminded her of one curly haired boy.

Pushing thoughts of Jesse aside became harder, hurrying up the stairs to her room, she ran to her stereo and pressed play, but the music didn't help at all. In fact, it only made it worse, tears stung at the corner of her eyes as she fell into memories and let his voice comfort her aching, lonely heart.

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><p>She remembered the days perfectly, it was when she had said no to doing 'it' and he wasn't happy at all. He had stormed out forgetting his care bear, but they would make amends later in the library and she would stupidly agree to do 'it' with him. After staring into the mirror at her own reflection, her 'deer in the headlights' look, she knew she wasn't ready, but how could she tell him? So she made up some story about the glee club, but came clean and said she wasn't ready, waiting for him to go storming out once more. Yet, he didn't, he took her hands in his, leaning forward to kiss her and he planted the softest of kisses on her lips before pulling back. To say she was shocked would be an extreme understatement and she looked into his blue eyes, he was smiling knowingly.<p>

"I said I'd wait until you were ready, so we'll wait. I do however, have a surprise for you, I was going to wait until after, but now I think this might lighten the mood."

He stood up, walking over to his coat that lay on the ground; he pulled something out of the pocket and made his way over to her stereo. Putting in a CD, he let the music speak for itself and if her reaction was any indication to her feelings, he had just proven to be the best boyfriend. The way she ran to him and hugged him as those familiar words were sung, by two very familiar voices, it was their voices harmonizing together perfectly for their song.

"_Hello!  
><em>_I've just got to let you know  
>Because I wonder where you are<br>And I wonder what you do  
>Are you somewhere feeling lonely?<br>Or is someone loving you?  
>Tell me how to win your heart<br>For I haven't got a clue  
>But let me start by saying I love you."<em>

The very same song that was blasting out of her speakers, she had turned the volume up, so that their voices filled the empty house. She remembered recording the song with Jesse so long ago and she had been so touched when he had brought her a CD of them singing it after their sex fiasco. They had recorded the very song downstairs on her father's piano, him playing the piano and singing, their voices just the same as when they had sung in the music store. Since she hardly used her stereo and used her IHome much more often, she hadn't even realized she had never taken the CD out. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to take it out even now and instead settled on lowering the volume and going to find out more about that girl she saw in the schools' courtyard. The familiar song of 'Hello' had brought life back into her, her heart felt that empty space be filled, not even bothering to realize it was being filled back up by Jesse.

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><p>Rachel was very eager to find Sunshine soon and encourage her to join the glee club, so when the girl walked into the bathroom while she was hanging flyers. Rachel couldn't help herself, but to pounce on the opportunity, immediately going into a speech to persuade the girl to join glee club. When Sunshine broke into 'Telephone' by Lady GaGa, Rachel couldn't withstand the challenge also realizing that Sunshine was actually a good singer. Sue broke them up by, doing what she is best at, yelling. After an awkward pause, Sunshine spoke asking for when auditions were and Rachel had to dismiss herself so she could formulate a plan.<p>

"Let me get back to you on that and don't tell anyone about this."

With that the girls went in opposite directions, Rachel was filled with worry, struck by the horror of if this girl joined what her own fate might become. She couldn't allow anything to jeopardize her position as the star of glee club and this girl would be bright and new. Sunshine could lull people into thinking she was better than Rachel was and then she would be ignored as Sunshine rose to fame. So her brain was working fast trying to create the perfect plan to eliminate the competition and she figured fear of life as an unpopular glee member might work. She decided to pitch the idea to Kurt and Mercedes, which ended up in a disaster, both of them saying they could use Sunshine to help the team beat Vocal Adrenaline. Kurt and Mercedes willing to give up solos for the team was very noble, but didn't persuade Rachel to change her tactic at all. Instead she thought up a new plan, giving those two a little speech on caring for them before she nearly ran out of the room.

She couldn't squelch her impulse to stomp the competition, which is a bad habit, but a part of her, her competitive streak running farther than her nice streak. Rachel put on her show face as she approached the small Philippine girl named Sunshine, her best happy smile and her most cheerful voice. Handing over the directions she was thrilled, the girl suspected nothing and after a thank you, Rachel turned on her heel. She couldn't help but feel joy spread inside of her, a skip slipping into her step as she headed off. Her glee teammates may be sad at first, but would soon realize that she did it for them and then who would be able to stay mad at her. She was the one who had to make the hard decision, saving the rest from doing it, her actions were truly honorable.

However, the next day the outcome of her actions ended much differently then she thought they would, instead of her teammates thanking her, she was reprimanded. Due to the close Asian community, both Tina and Mike found out about what Rachel had done, going immediately to tell Mr. Schuester.

Rachel was sitting down in a chair, looking perplexed as Mr. Schuester spoke, his voice full of disappointment, telling her to make things right. As if she had done something wrong by protecting the glee club, keeping Sunshine out so that she couldn't outshine anyone and make sure each member kept their contributions. She knew that her excuse did nothing to make anyone less mad, but it was the truth, or at least part of the truth. She didn't want to ruin how the glee club was and if Sunshine did manage to twist people into believing she was good then that would mess up the dynamic of the glee club. Not to mention it could knock herself down from being the number one member of glee club, which couldn't happen.

Rachel had to swallow down her pride, choke the impulse to eliminate the competition and tried to make amends. She was thankful to hear that Sunshine would meet at the auditorium, it would cost a new set of sheet music, but it would be worth it. All her friends in glee club had turned, attacking her verbally as if her very essence was poisonous and might hurt them. None of her teammates, her 'friends', understanding that she wanted to protect them, that her motives weren't selfish, but rather selfless. The anger directed at her by her fellow teammates felt like a knife in the back, backstabbing an understatement in this situation.

After Sunshine's audition for glee club, singing 'Listen' from _Dreamgirls_, the whole team warmed up to her and Rachel hoped it could repair their relationship. Any hope of that was stripped away when the glee club found out that Vocal Adrenaline had snatched Sunshine away with the tempting benefits of a green card and condo for her and her mother. The anger the glee club felt for Rachel was intense, only Finn managed to stop them from completely kicking her out, but the seed of hate was already planted. She had to leave, her emotions too much, even singing a song didn't help, 'What I Did for Love' and she found herself heading home, waiting to find solace in his voice.

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><p>Days had gone by since Sunshine had left for Vocal Adrenaline, the only times Glee members decided to talk to her were through texts and short, mean, insulting texts at that. Many she would get during the week and weekend were short and only one word was in them, the most common words were bitch, selfish, controlling, freak, and self-centered and any combination of those words. Some texts even included diva, but were followed by bitch, a main topic in the texts were their questions of why and doubt to whether any of them still wanted to even talk to her, let alone be friends. Finn was even angry, but due to their relationship and understanding of one another, he let it slide as long as she would remember that it was bad and she shouldn't ever do it again.<p>

Rachel was unlike herself this weekend, she kept with her morning routine, but her normal happy attitude was gone, only due to the fact her father's were going to be gone this Saturday and Sunday did the change go unnoticed by them. After finishing on the elliptical Saturday morning, she found herself uncharacteristically sad, deciding that a shower might refresh her also she would indulge herself by listening to the CD.

She had been unable to listen to it more than once since after the Sunshine mess, she had only gotten through the song for the first time when she heard her father's car outside. They were both home early, due to the fact they were to be gone away on business this weekend, they were given Friday off so Rachel quickly shut off the CD fearful of what her fathers might think. A little secret Hiram didn't share with the rest of his family was his acute hearing, upon opening the car door; he heard music, the familiar tenor of one boy that was harmonizing with the familiar voice of his daughter. At first Hiram merely dismissed it as Finn, but upon continued hearing of the voice, it struck him, the voice was none other than Jesse St. James'. The fact that both the piano and voices were cut off meant only one thing, it could only be a CD, that and the fact that both the Berry men knew that Jesse was currently at UCLA. Having both heard it from him and Rachel many times, mainly on the topic of what Jesse was going to do with his life and where Rachel wanted to go to college. Hiram just shook his head, he had always known how deeply in love those two had been, but seemed like just another moment like before when all she could talk about was Jesse's version of Bohemian Rhapsody. She wasn't over Jesse at all, in fact, she seemed to be even more in love than when she was before, but the major fact that conflicted in his mind was knowing that Rachel was currently taken by one Finn Hudson.

Rachel was happily surprised when her fathers kept her schedule very busy on their time off, Hiram made her favorite vegan meals, grilled veggies and tofu stacks and the other being vegan blueberry pancakes. Rachel always believed the breakfast is the most important meal of the day, hence the protein shake, so she loved it when her fathers would cook breakfast for dinner. Following that Hiram also made a batch of vegan lemon sugar cookies, baking wasn't something he did much, so it was a definite surprise when she could smell their aroma throughout the house. While Rachel was a true vegan, her fathers were still on the fence, but would try to do anything to make her happy. They very often had vegan meals; it was a lot easy to just cook the one meal, so Rachel felt success in pretty much converting her fathers into the vegan lifestyle.

Leroy had been persuaded into playing the piano and singing with Hiram, this quite unusual, usually Rachel begged for her Dad to play the piano, but Hiram was sneaky, trying to keep his daughter chipper by doing all those things she loved. The family singing time was a welcome event for Rachel and she joined in as they sang, blasting through a number of show tunes. Ending the Friday night off, Hiram chose a song and their voices joined together to sing 'Patience' from _Dreamgirls_.

The hot water of the shower mixed perfectly to the music, her voice joining in, yet she always waited for his, and Jesse never disappointed. She felt a smile on her lips as she washed the shampoo from her hair, but gasped as she realized she had forgotten to put the CD on repeat. She was about to go running for the stereo when his voice cut her off, paralyzed as the water ran down her body, his voice holding the same strength over her as it always had.

"Rachel Berry, I promised you epic romance and that is exactly what you will get. I'd like to apologize for my rash decisions early, I will never force you into anything and I promise to keep these promises to you. Now since songs always express my feelings in the best way."

His voice broke the silence, the piano starting in the background along with a guitar as a song he'd never sung for her before filled the space of her bathroom. The music captivated her for a while, before she started listening to the lyrics, instead of being merely enthralled by his voice.

_"And you play it coy but it's kinda cute.  
>Ah, when you smile at me you know exactly what you do<br>Baby don't pretend that you don't know it's true.  
>'cause you can see it when I look at you<br>And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
>It's you, it's you, you make me sing<br>You're every line, you're every word, you're everything  
>You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,<br>And you light me up, when you ring my bell.  
>You're a mystery, you're from outer space,<br>You're every minute of my everyday  
>I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,<br>And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.  
>Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,<br>And you know that's what our love can do  
>And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times<br>It's you, it's you, you make me sing  
>You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.<em>

_So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
>So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la<br>And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times  
>It's you, it's you, you make me sing<br>You're every line, you're every word, you're everything  
>You're every song, and I sing along.<br>'Cause you're my everything.  
>Yeah, yeah<br>So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la  
>So, la, la, la, la, la, la, la."<em>

As his voice faded, a long pause, before the CD started over, her fear of the CD turning off was unnecessary, but that wasn't even a thought in her mind as she let a few tears fall from her eyes. The emotion he had poured into the song was evident, it was beautiful and more than anything it just helped to reinforce the thought that had sprung to her mind when she had first heard their song play on her stereo. He honestly did care for her, but that thought only brought more tears to her eyes, glad she was alone, because she felt the cries overtake her. Her sobs loud as she felt her heartache, the empty feeling only expanding at her new realization and another thought entered her head, she could never be happy with Finn as long as she still cared for Jesse St. James.


	2. I'm Sorry

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, nor do I own any part of Glee because trust me things would have ended differently. I also own none of the songs used in this chapter.

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><p>Rachel had to admit that she was rather bored the weeks that led up to Sectionals, all of her and Finn's drama didn't even bother her. She found the longer she was with him, the less she seemed to care for him, that spark that had made her romance with him once hot, fiery and passionate was gone. Each week, Rachel kept learning Finn and her had less in common, while Rachel was content to watch a musical, Finn would rather watch some bloody, gory movie. Finn wanted to watch or talk about football at every given chance, often annoying Rachel greatly, every talk seemed to go back to football and she was tired of never being heard. She knew the worst thing though was the fact that now Finn never complimented her, before when they weren't together, he'd often offer her some nice words, but now every compliment had to be cued for him. She started to feel as if they were an older couple, just waiting for something to happen before all hell broke loose.<p>

It was all these reasons that Rachel couldn't even bother to care when Finn and Santana were talking during the wedding, sure it annoyed her a little, but she shrugged it off, she just wanted something on him so they could end it. While she wouldn't say it aloud, she had to admit that she wasn't happy with Finn, she knew what their life would hold and ultimately it would be misery. She knew if she wanted to stay with Finn, she would have to give up her dreams, there would be no other choice and she knew she wouldn't want to do that. Sighing Rachel knew she had to end it with Finn soon, she only wished it could be simple, no worries about any pining after, all feelings gone, but she knew some feelings would linger, more for Finn than her. Rachel had let these past few months decide on what she would do about Jesse, she knew something would come from out of their destroyed relationship. She just needed to talk to him, hear him out, she knew if the situation was reversed she would want him to listen to her and due to their similar personalities and thoughts she knew it's what he wanted now.

Rachel was surprised he hadn't contacted her yet, but dismissed the thought figuring that UCLA was keeping him busy. She had to admit she was disappointed though, she had wanted to hear from him, just so she knew what to expect because maybe he really was just heartless. She found that hard to believe, she had seen his reactions when they had started egging her, but she was too distraught in those moments to even care. She knew Jesse; it was during those moments that she saw his show face crack, dissolve for the first and only time ever since she knew him. He had never found in necessary to put on his show face when they were alone, neither of them had, which is probably why she loved the relationship, there was no hiding, no lies. She just knew they meant more than what had gone down, two people so alike don't spend time together as a couple and have no feelings, actors or not.

Rachel was prepared to end it with Finn, not sure if it would be better, before or after Sectionals, but all thought of breaking up with Finn was momentarily forgotten when Mr. Schuester came in to glee club. He had taken her solo from her, giving Mike and Brittany the stage to dance on and also letting Sam and Quinn take over the ballad part. If Rachel felt like she wasn't appreciated before, it was nothing to the feeling now, she was the only one certain of how great she was, she knew she deserved better than to be placed in the back after all she was the best out of them. She would never say it aloud, but in her head she knew it, they knew it, she was the best singer. Mr. Schuester had made a speech about how he hasn't showcased all the talent in here, blah, blah, blah and even Finn couldn't sway him to rethink his option.

Rachel wasn't in the mood after her completely deserved solo was ripped from her grasp, so when Santana made a comment about Finn being a hypocrite, she was ready to attack. The words that would next fall from Santana's mouth would end up being the most hurtful, especially when combined by Finn wanting Santana to stay quiet. Santana confessed something that hit Rachel very deeply, Santana and Finn had done 'it' last year and Finn had never told her the truth before. Finn had so many opportunities, especially when Rachel had confessed she was still a virgin, that her and Jesse hadn't actually done 'it', but no, Finn just kept lying. Rachel felt betrayed, hurt and also relieved, this meant a simple way to end it, but still it would make it hard to ever talk to Finn again, trust demolished between them just by a few words. Mr. Schuester found these moments to say something about something and Rachel found she didn't care, he was a lousy coach and at that moment in time, she didn't really want to listen to his rants.

* * *

><p>Rachel couldn't get the thought of Santana and Finn out of her mind, out of all the possible people, it had to be her that he did it with, she wouldn't have been mad if it was Quinn, that she could understand. For him to do 'it' with Santana was something she didn't even want to comprehend, didn't want to know any more, but she knew she had to come up with some idea of how to break up with him. So she went home, she thought about singing him a song, but that would be both unappreciated and he probably wouldn't understand the wording of the song at all. She thought a straight forward approach, but how could she come about it, she didn't know how to break up with Finn, the boy she put on such a high pedestal was now coming crumbling down. She figured she'd just have to be strong, be blunt and don't let him convince her any other way.<p>

That's when her doorbell rang; she figured her fathers might have forgotten their keys, since Finn hardly ever did come over when he wasn't specifically invited. Finn definitely fell short in the romantic category. As she made her way to the door, she was surprised to open it and see the mailman retreating down the driveway, their mail stacked on the ground. Perplexed she grabbed the mail to find a box underneath it, supporting all the mail, she looked to see who the box was for and only saw her name printed on it, no return address anywhere. She put the mail on the table to the side of the door, closing the door as she made her way back to her room, the box was small, but stuffed full because when she shook it, there was no sound.

She delicately opened the box, pulling out newspaper, noting that the newspaper was from Lima, she was really confused now, but that was replaced when a CD case fell out. She had dumped the contents on her computer desk and was opening the CD case, which held no note as to who it was from, she made her way to her stereo, and replacing the now overused CD Jesse had given her so long ago. Upon pressing play, there was silence before his voice once again filled her room and he began singing, some lyrics already popping out from other ones.

"_I'm sorry I'm bad,  
>I'm sorry you're blue,<br>I'm sorry about all things I said to you  
>And I know I can't take it back<br>I love how you kiss,  
>I love all your sounds,<br>And baby the way you make my world go round  
>And I just wanted to say I'm sorry-<em>

_-Every single day  
>I think about how we came all this way<br>The sleepless nights and the tears you cried  
>it's never too late to make it right<br>Oh yeah sorry!"_

The first song ended, the familiar song of 'Sorry' by Buckcherry turned into another familiar melody, the songs not the normal classic songs he had always sung, but the words were just as powerful. The first lyrics from the song could have been something Jesse had written to her, but she knew it wasn't as she let his voice sing to her.

"_I'm not a perfect person  
>There's many things I wish I didn't do<br>But I continue learning  
>I never meant to do those things to you<br>And so I have to say before I go  
>That I just want you to know<br>__  
>I've found a reason for me<br>To change who I used to be  
>A reason to start over new<br>And the reason is you_

I'm sorry that I hurt you  
>It's something I must live with everyday<br>And all the pain I put you through  
>I wish that I could take it all away<br>And be the one who catches all your tears  
>That's why I need you to hear.<p>

_I've found a reason for me  
>To change who I used to be<br>A reason to start over new  
>And the reason is you<br>__  
>I've found a reason to show<br>A side of me you didn't know  
>A reason for all that I do<br>And the reason is you "_

As the song ended she already knew that tears were running down her face, leaving wet trails down her face, she couldn't believe it, but now she knew they had a chance. She nearly laughed, being sad, neglected and feeling betrayed by her current boyfriend when her ex-boyfriend outshines him once more by sending her this heart wrenching CD. How come every time she felt sad, he was able to cheer her up in the perfect way and that was what gave her the final push to decide that she would end it with Finn.

* * *

><p>After a quick exchange between Finn and Santana, Rachel was ready, when suddenly Puck showed up beside her, offering help for boyfriend troubles. She was shocked, but thought maybe Puck would have a better idea on how to break up with Finn, due to the fact Rachel figured her way was, at nicest, blunt and uncaring. So they left down the hallway, smiling Rachel made small talk. However, like many times before Puck was of little help, Rachel nearly let her impulse get the better of her and almost made out with him. The desire to get Finn back for what he had done nearly was too much, but she realized if there was one thing she didn't want to be, that would be a cheater. Once Rachel and Puck got to her house, he had wanted to go upstairs to talk, but Rachel kept them downstairs, one it would be easier to remain only talking and two if he happened to press play on her stereo, Jesse's voice would start singing. The second being something she definitely didn't want, well not while others were around.<p>

Even though her feelings for Puck were nonexistent, she still had that impulse to get Finn back for the Santana thing, she still knew the best option would be to not do that and instead shocked Puck by asking how she should break up with Finn.

"Wait, your boyfriend trouble is that you don't want a boyfriend?"

"Yes, after finding out about Finn and Santana, it was the last straw and it's been obvious we haven't been as in love as before, we hardly talk. Neither of us pays attention while the other speaks and I don't want that, in other words, our relationship was doomed from the start and I'm done with it."

"Okay, but how can I help? I don't want to be the one who helped you decide how to break up with him."

"I only need to know the easiest way to break up with him without completely making us uncivilized towards each other."

Puck sighed, obviously not one who was used to actually helping, rather than just making out, looking good and being the 'bad' boy. "Just be straightforward with him, it will be better in the end rather than being all nicey-nice about it."

"Thank you, Puck"

"Anytime, so I guess we're done here."

Rachel felt better, knowing she had to break up with Finn, she decided it was best to call Finn and break up now, rather than wait, any more tension in New Directions would probably go unnoticed at the moment. Sighing she called Finn up, Puck had just left minutes ago, and she was seated on the couch living room, knowing it would make it easier for her to get Finn out the door if they stayed close to the door. Thankfully Finn picked up on the fourth ring and as was so often lately his voice seemed laced with annoyance even though she hadn't even spoken yet.

"Hey Rachel, I'm kind of busy, the game is almost on."

"Finn this will only take a little time, we just need to talk."

"Okay so talk."

"No, just come over to my house, it won't take long at all."

"Okay, I'll be there in a few."

Sighing Rachel gathered her strength, and waited, thinking over what to say in her mind, her cell phone lying on a coffee table and the clock on the wall counted the seconds. What in reality was less than ten minutes seemed like hours to Rachel Berry, while her resolve to break up with Finn didn't crack, she couldn't help, but wonder how he would feel about the break up. When he knocked on the door, she didn't miss a beat, speeding to the door quickly, she opened it before making her way back into the living room, skipping their customary kiss. Finn followed Rachel, confused, sure he wasn't blind, he had noticed they spent less time together, didn't do hardly any public displays of affection, but spending less time he blamed on football season. The lack of public displays of affection wasn't uncommon, Rachel always liked people to know they were together, but public kissing and making out had hardly been how. Rachel was seated back on the couch, patting the spot next to her, she sighed as he sat down, preparing before she spoke.

"Finn, the reason I asked you to come over is simple, I feel we aren't near as close as we were before. Since I found out about you and Santana, I can't help, but feel betrayed-" Finn made a motion as if to speak, but Rachel put her fingers to his lips "- I know we weren't together, but still you never felt comfortable disclosing the information to me. Which is like lying, and to put it simply, I don't know how much I can trust you now, it really hurts Finn. Besides you have to have realized that we have been growing apart, we hardly spend time together, we don't have the same fiery, passion as before. I just think it would be best if we broke up."

"Wait… You're breaking up with me? We could try and solve this without breaking up; we both could at least give working it out a shot."

"Finn, yes we could, but how happy would we be? Trying to fix something that is obviously broken, until we can trust each other again we shouldn't date and until then we shouldn't be a couple anymore."

"Why now though? I don't think our problems are that bad."

"Finn… Besides now, when was the last time we talked for more than a few minutes, excluding glee rehearsal?"

Finn's face fell as he tried to recollect the last real conversation he had with Rachel, he kept thinking and realized he had actually had longer conversations with pretty much anyone else.

"Okay… you're right, we'll break up, but this doesn't change my feelings for you Rachel."

Rachel only nodded, before showing him to the door, as they stood by the door; Finn chose this moment to talk.

"Are we going to be okay to perform for sectionals?"

"Yes, I'll be professional about it, but I won't bite my tongue if Santana decides to get smart with me."

"Okay, I understand… Can I at least get a hug?"

Rachel nodded, giving him a hug, the height difference never more apparent, they didn't even fit together when he held her and how could she have neglected these obvious signs, obvious clues they didn't fit.

_Because you spent so much time idolizing him and making him into the perfect guy._

She knew it was true, her logic winning over her irrational way to try and make Finn perfect, so for the second time that day she sent another ex-boyfriend out her door and made her way to go listen to the only thing that brought her comfort anymore, **his** voice.

* * *

><p>As New Directions waited to go up on stage, Rachel found herself biting her tongue, to try and hold back as to why everyone, but her seemed to know about Finn and Santana. She had recently found out that Kurt knew and was now watching the glee club falling to ruins at the nerves of going to perform she wished she could help, but she was still hurt that she was just part of the background this time. Rachel glanced over at Sam and Quinn, both looked nervous and she couldn't stop the thought from entering her head, <strong>his<strong> voice once again plaguing her thoughts, _I remember when I used to get nervous. _The whole team a mess, Mercedes full of herself like always, Quinn a nervous wreck, Artie and Brittany fighting, Mike and Tina fighting and then Santana had to open her big mouth, insulting Rachel yet again. All of Santana's insults were so alike, unoriginal, reused and just boring now, that Rachel couldn't even recall what she said, but it had to have been something about no one liking her, because Puck came to her defense and said he liked Rachel. The heartfelt moment was lost as the rest of the glee club broke into angry yells, fighting commencing, some deciding they didn't want to perform and like so often lately, Mr. Schuester burst in yelling about last year, something, blah, something. Rachel hardly listened to him anymore, instead she would just plaster on her show face and just nod. She was still hurt over not getting the solo, but she tried to be professional and not let her emotions get in the way. During Mr. Schue's rant the lights flickered, signaling it was their turn to go up and perform, quickly they all exited the room and went to get in their places.

While Sam and Quinn were singing, Rachel was jealous, the spotlight should be hers, she should be center stage, even if she was singing with Finn, they deserved it more than Quinn and Sam. With a show face on once again, no one would have noticed her jealousy as Rachel sang in the background, something she disliked quite greatly, but she pretended to be happy. Only one pair of blue eyes could see past the mask she put on, if he didn't know her, he would think she was content, but he knew her too well for that, and had to admit he was quite angry at their coach. Who would be so completely incompetent to put their best singer in the background swaying and harmonizing, instead of belting out the song and making it perfect? Who would be stupid enough to actually take away the guarantee of victory? Only Mr. Schuester, he guessed, he shook his head, even angrier when he saw that bitch Santana singing the next song, her voice going unheard by him, his anger deafening him and the sight of the two dancers taking stage. That should have been him and Rachel; he would have made the performance great, their choreography was interesting, but would have paled in comparison to anything Rachel and he did. Sectionals were disappointing to say the least, but the best part would be after it was over, to see her face, to talk with her, because he was ready to take that final step. Texting was too impersonal, so was talking on the phone, he wanted her to see his face, his eyes, read his lips, hear his voice exactly as he spoke, but most importantly he wanted to be able to touch her again. Feel her soft, velvety skin on his, and that is what made him decide to come watch her perform and then he found out Mr. Schuester had put her in the background, such a great tragedy.

Due to Mr. Schuester's grave mistake, he figured they were lucky they even tied, putting Rachel in the back and letting the others 'shine' as Schuester had put it so many times, was a stupid decision. He rolled his eyes, but didn't miss when Finn hugged Rachel, anger boiling up inside of him, he had hoped they would have broken up by now, but he wasn't that lucky. Although the fact that Rachel broke the hug and then distanced herself from Finn was a good sign, possibly they weren't as close as he thought, a smile finding its way to his lips, now all he had to do was get her alone. He already had a plan, when wandering around before New Directions had gone up to sing; he had found a piano in an empty ball room on a stage. Since he had to avoid being noticed by any of New Directions, he had taken the scenic route to the theatre room, he was seated close to the back of the room, all he needed would be for Rachel to catch a glance at him, and she would dismiss herself and then follow the sound of music. Which would lead to him, he just knew it and the only outcome was that, so he smiled as he waited out by where he knew New Directions would be departing, leaning nonchalantly on the wall.

Just like expected New Directions was about to walk past, Rachel not talking to Finn for once, spent that time glancing over the long waiting room, as her head turned to the right, she saw a mess of curly brown locks that belonged to only one person. The retreating form was even wearing the ever familiar black jean jacket, black pants and boots; she knew it was him immediately. She was glad when New Directions stopped to talk to Kurt, knowing this would create enough time just for her to sneak away and see if it actually was him. Kurt only just barely saw Rachel leaving, figuring she had to go to the bathroom, ignored it and talked with the rest of the team, all sharing in the joy that they had all won and no one had lost.

The center where Sectionals was held was decorated in a more modern theme; it was a giant circular building with a main waiting room that branched off both left and right, leading to bathrooms and many doorways to the main theatre room. A not very well known thing about the center was that there were ballrooms and party rooms also in it. As Rachel made her way along the hallway she heard a very familiar song playing on a piano, then a voice joining in and that was all it took before she started running, the door ajar as she entered one of the few ballrooms the center had. Her heart that had been beating at an insane rate skipped a beat as she noticed the form of a very familiar boy playing the piano. There on a small stage, playing the piano was Jesse St. James, his curls messy, his attire just like it always was and even as he turned to look at her, his voice never faltered and he kept playing their song.

"_Hello_

_I've just got to let you know_

_'Cause I wonder where you are and I wonder what you do._

_Are you somewhere feeling lonely?_

_Or is someone loving you_

_Tell me how to win your heart_

_For I haven't got a clue_

_But let me start by saying - I love you._

_Hello_

_Is it me you're looking' for?_

_'Cause I wonder where you are and I wonder what you do._

_Are you somewhere feeling lonely?_

_Or is someone loving you_

_Tell me how to win your heart_

_For I haven't got a clue_

_But let me start by saying - I love you."_

Her voice had sung the last verses with his, their voices in perfect harmony, just as beautiful as they had always been. A smile on her face, during the whole song she had been making her way up to him, now she stood beside the piano, their eyes had gazed into each other's throughout the performance. Here he was, the same, but different, a smile on his face as he stood walking over to her, motioning towards the edge of the stage and they both sat down, a comfortable silence filling the air. Both hearts pounding like crazy, her heart felt full again, all the pieces back in order, the loneliness a distant memory as she turned to stare at him, the desire to run her fingers through his hair nearly too much for her to handle.

"I'm sorry."


	3. Time of My Life

He had broken the silence, the seconds that ticked by might as well have been years, because they felt the same to him, his eyes studying her face and he couldn't begin to describe the relief when a smile found its way to her lips. He had missed seeing her smile, far more than he realized, the way her smile could light up a room and it honestly made his day, he didn't care if she walked out now. It was worth it just to make her smile this once, but the smile she was throwing his way made him believe that they could actually get over what had happened.

Rachel knew there were two options now, to forgive him as she had thought about many times and see where that leads or to walk out right then, closing the door on Jesse St. James. She had looked at it logically, illogically, yet neither one would provide her with an answer, the same seconds that ticked by seemed to be disappearing into oblivion as the time between his apology stretched on. As she looked into those blue eyes that she could always get lost in, the answer became obvious, because it had already been made up for her, so she threw caution to the wind and let her heart speak.

"I know. If you had told me this months ago, I wouldn't have believed a word of it, but now after time I've forgiven you. I do want to know why though."

Jesse turned to face her, she was the perfect image of innocence, her feet dangling off the edge of the stage, her hair fell framing her face, noticing she now had bangs, her eyes wide with the possibility of tears ready to fall and she had just the slightest touch of a pout. He instinctively grabbed her hand, letting his fingers rub circles on the back of it; her hands were soft and just a slight bit cold. She had missed him holding her hands, how delicately his fingers ghosted over her skin, tracing circles into them, the contact working the magic it always had, causing tension to disappear and his hand as warm as always. She kept her eyes trained on his, his own eyes full of emotion, his smile replaced by one of sadness and she felt her heart aching.

"It's my one greatest regret, the second I turned around I knew I made a mistake, yet I just kept going, it was too late by the time I realized how stupid I had been. Until then I thought that I was getting everything I wanted, my scholarship to UCLA, a fourth consecutive national championship, my possible future career, but I realized in doing so I lost something greater. I lost you."

The tears she had been holding in managed to slip out, starting to roll down her cheek when his thumb came up to wipe them away, he let his hand stay there for a second, gently caressing her cheek.

"When I realized what I gave up, what I had just done, what I had let my teammates do, I hated myself, hated them and could hardly stand to see them. I only caved in to staying with Vocal Adrenaline, when I realized it would mean I gave up the best thing in my life for nothing, so I worked harder in 'Bohemian Rhapsody', putting all the emotion into it I could. Still winning Regionals wasn't worth it, it's something I have to live with though, I can only apologize for the pain I've put you through and hope it's enough for you to forgive me."

"I already told you, I forgive you."

"Still I can't even imagine what I put you through-"

"You were right though, when you said I broke your heart first."

As those words fell from her lips, he paused, shocked, she always knew him so well and not even time could alter that. When he seemed at a loss for words, Rachel continued.

"I know what you're going to say, but hear me out, we both hurt each other, no matter how we look at it, that's the truth."

"I just wish I could take it back, you never deserved anything like that."

She sniffled, letting tears fall down her face; Jesse was quick to wipe them away, enveloping her in his arms as he comforted her, wishing it could be on happier terms that she was in his arms. He reprimanded himself in his brain, knowing he should be happy he at least got this. Rachel despite the current sad situation felt a spark of happiness at being in his arms once more, like the world had finally been put right, content settling over her.

"Will you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Let's put this behind us, forgive each other for everything we've done, forgive yourself also, can you do that for me?"

He smiled her face so close he had to resist the urge to kiss her.

"I'd do anything for you."

She smiled, before she heard a loud beep, perplexed looks slipping onto their faces, Rachel reached into her signature side bag, this one a black one, to find her phone and it had a new message on it. Opening it she read the message aloud.

_Rachel, where did you go? If you don't show up soon I'm going to march into the bathroom and drag you out._

It was from Kurt, finally realization dawned on her, and New Directions was still in the lobby waiting for her, her eyes widened as did Jesse's as he made the same connection.

"What's the plan, Rach?"

"You're going to take me out while New Directions believe I'm away with my fathers."

Jesse smiled, he could hardly believe it, first she forgave him and now she wanted to go out, sure most likely not as a date, but it was a step and something he had wanted for months now. He watched Rachel send a text off back to Kurt, telling some lie about how her fathers had surprised her by showing up, he had to smile, the joy was almost too much. Whenever he thought about how their meeting would go down, he always figured something would turn sour, which was when he was realistic about it, when he wasn't being logical things always went better, but he tried not to give himself false hope.

"Okay, I'm going to actually go to the bathroom and check my make-up I know I look like a mess."

"You look as beautiful as ever."

The comment slipped from his mouth so naturally, he only realized what he had said until after it was done, but the comment wasn't met by a roll of the eyes or any mean expressions or comments. Instead a soft blush graced her cheeks, as she pulled away, he dropped off the stage, offering her his hand, so he could help her down, and she took it willingly.

"Wait outside while I check my make up?"

Knowing Rachel, he knew the fact that besides her show of confidence, she really didn't like being alone, it was a feeling she knew too well and one she didn't enjoy. While it gave her time to practice her singing, rehearse a song or anything, it always left an empty feeling inside of her, so he merely nodded, leaning against the wall opposite the bathrooms as she went in.

Rachel stared into the mirror, despite her slightly running mascara, her face looked fine, even better than fine, she seemed to have a glow about her and she felt a smile tugging at her lips as she wiped off the mascara. She sprayed a little perfume on, making sure to get her pulse points, checking her appearance once more to make sure it was perfect, she smiled and exited the bathroom. There against the wall was Jesse St. James, she still couldn't get over the fact he was here, with her again and to say it didn't bring an immense amount of happiness to her would be a lie. He didn't let the fact that she smelled like May blossoms with a hint of fruity undertones go unnoticed, he smiled since she still wore the same perfume as before, his favorite perfume for her to wear. He only noticed the perfume due to the fact as soon as she exited the bathroom, he made sure to go to her and intertwine their fingers, and also he suspected she had added a little in the bathroom.

She had to smile, while she knew holding hands was a bad idea, she couldn't help, but indulge herself, also the fact of how perfectly their hands fit together always amazed her, not to mention the fact that their heights were perfect for each other. A thing she didn't let go to waste as she casually leaned her head on his shoulder; she had never been able to do that with Finn. She was happy to see that no one had decided to wait for her in the lobby, even more excited to see the fact that their bus was already gone, she smiled as they walked to Jesse's Range Rover and he opened her door without even having to be asked or hinted at.

"Where do you want to go?" He looked her way as he started the vehicle, easing it out of the parking space; she had forgotten how effortlessly he was able to drive unlike Finn who was constantly checking mirrors, slamming on breaks or something else.

"You choose." Even if she didn't mean it to be, not at first anyways, she knew it would be a showing of how well he knew her, if he remembered she was vegan and went somewhere she could eat. It was something Finn had often forgotten, also something he hadn't embraced, but rather had pushed away and tried to avoid any kind of vegan food if possible, saying it wasn't as good. She remembered how Jesse was, he had been hesitant at first after some convincing he tried the food, he didn't make a complete switch, but he did admit he enjoyed it and always ate vegan with Rachel. He only ever didn't if one of her fathers had wanted to go get a 'real' burger.

She looked at him driving, moving her hand to his so they could touch again, his flesh on hers felt like every nerve in her body had suddenly been awakened, and it was that spark feeling, like she was completely alive now. Her body becoming alertly aware of the fact his fingers started tracing little patterns on the back of her hand, his eyes glancing towards her every so often and she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss this. His hand was so warm, she almost wanted to let her mind wander back into memories of the two of them, before the break up and just remain there where there was only happiness. Instead a thought popped into her mind, her impulse tendencies getting the best of her and she blurted it out.

"What made you decide to come back here?"

He smiled, "You haven't figured it out yet?" a soft chuckle, "I had to see you perform for sectionals and leaving a little early for Christmas break was just a mere perk."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, I wish I could have been performing."

"Do you realize how annoyed I was at Schuester for his decision? I mean honestly, letting that Ken and Barbie couple sing? It was passable, they didn't even do the song justice, oh and then following it up with that bitch, what possessed him to think it was a good idea to even let her show her face? I honestly thought I might throw up, her performance, it was decent at best, but to put you in the back!"

Rachel laughed, a huge smile finding it's way to her face, Jesse had to look, just to make sure he saw right, a certain amount of joy filling his body at being able to hear her laugh again.

"I didn't know you felt so strongly, I'll try much harder to make sure I'm always center stage."

He rolled his eyes at her joking tone, "Rachel, you're a star; you shine brighter than they do and the only spot on a stage you should occupy is the center, unless we're on stage together then you should share it."

Rachel had to laugh, smiling over at Jesse, who had one of his rare smiles on, not the normal, classic 'Jesse St. James' smirk, but a full on smile, something he only chose to share with her. She did turn her face away though; afraid he'd catch a glimpse of the blush that had spread across her cheeks at his compliment. He always knew what to say to cause her to blush.

"Maybe you should tell Mr. Schue that, obviously he doesn't see it the same way you do."

"If you wanted me to I would, it's obvious you have the most talent, none of them can even say they have half your talent, when you perform on stage all eyes are on you. However, I think I know something that will cheer you up."

While they were currently stopped at a red light, the many different lanes, some to turn this way or that way, or to go straight, meant it would be a while for them to go, so Jesse took this moment to pull out his Ipod. Smiling he connected it to an adapter to his stereo, flipping through his songs he selected one, before hitting the 'On' button, turning the volume up also. A very familiar and recent melody drifting out of the speakers, Jesse looked over at Rachel, a quick glance at the red light before his voice joined in. He infused love into each word, every letter, with a soulful undertone, his eyes stared into hers, his eyes even more expressive, they were soft, gentle, yet sparkled with new life and his lips pulled up into a loving smile.

"_Now I've had the time of my life  
>No I never felt like this before<br>Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you."_

She joined in for the part, which had been wrongfully taken from her by Quinn, knowing she had poured the same depth of emotion into the song as her partner; she knew she even had the same silly, love filled smile.

"_Cause I've had the time of my life and I owe it all to you."_

Jesse's voice came back in after a short pause, their voices louder than the ones from the Ipod, easily making the song theirs.

"_I've been waiting for so long  
>Now I've finally found someone<br>To stand by me."_

Rachel's voice took over again.

"_We saw the writing on the wall  
>As we felt this magical fantasy."<em>

Finally their voices came together, making the perfect harmony, the depth of the song no longer wasted on the inexperience of the past performers, the emotion that they instilled in the music only outshone by the emotion that was lingering in their eyes. Songs always managed to capture the feelings that neither Rachel nor Jesse could ever speak themselves.

"_Now with passion in our eyes  
>There's no way we could disguise it secretly<br>So we take each others hand  
>Cause we seem to understand the urgency ooh<br>Just remember!_

_You're the one thing  
>I can't get enough of (I can't get enough of)<br>So I'll tell you something  
>This could be love (This could be love)<br>because_

_I've had the time of my life no I never felt like this before  
>Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you<em>

_Hey baby, hey baby_

_With my body and soul I want you more than you'll ever know  
>So we'll just let it go don't be afraid to lose control<br>Yes I know what's on your mind when you say  
>"Stay with me tonight" (stay with me)<br>Just remember!_

_You're the one thing I can't get enough of  
>(I can't get enough of)<br>So I'll tell you something  
>This could be love (this could be love) because<em>

_(I've had) I've had the time of my life no I never felt this way before  
>Yes I swear it's the truth and I owe it all to you<em>_  
>Cause I've had the time of my life<br>and I've searched through every open door  
>Till I've found the truth and I owe it all to you.<em>

_Now I've had the time of my life  
>No I never felt this way before (never felt this way)<br>Yes I swear it's the truth  
>And I owe it all to you.<em>

I've had the time of my life (of my life)  
>No I never felt this way before (never felt this way)<br>Yes I swear it's the truth (it's the truth)  
>And I owe it all to you<p>

I've had the time of my life  
>And I've searched through every open door<br>Till I've found the truth, it's the truth  
>And I owe it all to you<p>

Now I've had the time of my life."

Jesse had been so into the song he hardly realized they were finished until he heard clapping, turning around he looked to see that the crowd of people who had been moving along on their way had stopped to listen. He caught Rachel turning a bright shade of red, yet it only enhanced her beauty, it was definitely faltering on her, he smirked and waved at the people, smiling while Rachel put on her own smile. Embarrassed as she was she would never turn away from an audience clapping for her, she waved, and was thankful when the light turned green and they were back on track to going where ever they were headed. Jesse turned the stereo off, smiling at Rachel; she looked back, not being able to help herself either.

"Remind you of the first time we met?"

Rachel smiled; the fond memory had surfaced after the cheering of those random strangers, much like when they had performed for the people in the music store, except this time she knew there were much deeper feelings expressed in the song.

"Yes it did, I didn't think we would attract a crowd!"

"I guess we should have rolled the windows up, not that I mind, I really missed singing with you and nothing can ever compare to singing with someone who is my complete equal."

Rachel blushed again, smacking Jesse lightly on the arm, he laughed before gently grabbing her hand, letting his fingers fit in between the spaces of her hand, the distance between each their fingers a perfect space for the each other.

"You don't even know how true that statement is, not that I'm saying the people in my glee club are bad, but none of them can sing like you can, can comprehend the depth of the song and infuse it with the correct emotion. So many of them lack the ability to match the correct amount of emotion to the song, sure it could be a ballad so the emotion should be love, but they just skim the surface of emotion, never diving any deeper. It's frustrating; I feel I'm the only one who bears their soul for every song, dangerously close to too much emotion."

"I wish I could be there for you, to sing with you, show them how a song should sound, but I can't, so I offer you the next best thing. If you ever need to practice just call me up, I'd be more than happy to oblige to getting to sing with you."

Rachel smiled, noticing they had finally stopped moving, parked between two other cars on the side of a street; she raised an eyebrow as Jesse cut the engine. He had a mischievous smirk on his face, a playful twinkle in his eyes; he looked into her eyes, searching before him making a decision.

"Do you trust me?" His voice felt unsure, for once the great Jesse St. James unsure of what the next moments might be, and his eyes were in this moment complete windows to his soul. Rachel knew the next words might just make or break him, despite having put the past behind them, she was uncertain, but the answer had already fallen from her lips before she had even thought about it.

"Yes." He had been prepared for the hesitation, the lip biting, but for her to assure him that she actually did trust him, something he figured he had lost so long ago, that he hadn't been expecting, not that he minded.

"Close your eyes, I'll tell you when to open them."

She closed her eyes, a little apprehensive, the slamming and reopening of car doors as Jesse moved to her side of the Range Rover, he grabbed her hand, helping her out and covered her eyes with his hands. She instinctively let herself lean against him; they moved slowly, his voice right by her ear as he told her to step up onto the sidewalk. The gentle tone of his voice something that could only be a result of love, she smiled, waiting as they kept walking, knowing they probably looked odd to so many people, yet she just kept hearing remarks on how sweet they looked. Rachel felt a blush once again creep up onto her cheeks, feeling as if she had spent most the day blushing and lightly smacked Jesse when she heard him chuckle.

"Stop, we're here."


	4. Brightening Horizons

He finally removed his hands from over her eyes, instead letting one fall down to grasp her hand, the action was so nature, he doubted either of them really noticed. He was observing her face, anticipating what her reaction would be, he wasn't disappointed when he saw her start smiling like a fool and she even let out a happy squeal.

"Jesse! You are so amazing, have I told you that lately? Like so unbelievably amazing! How did you know?"

They were standing outside the new completely vegan bakery and café, Rachel had been waiting to go here, but sadly had been unable to since she didn't often go to Toledo for no reason. She had secretly wanted to try it when she found out where Sectionals was, but figured it was very unlikely, even if Finn took her there, he would only complain. For some reason, he always thought vegan food tasted not near as tasty as what he dubbed 'normal' food.

"I just figured, plus I drove by here the other day, when I saw it was a completely vegan store, I knew you would love it."

She pulled him inside, the warm atmosphere a welcome change to the chilly weather, her and Jesse were some of the very few people in here, the place set up to be a comfortable café. A few arm chairs and couches scattered around, with a barista bar set up, and a huge display case of baked goods and at the far end there was a stage, and it had officially become her new favorite place. There was an upright piano on the stage off to the side against the right wall; the far wall had a doorway leading both behind the stage and probably to bathrooms. While Rachel had an immediate desire to go sing on the stage, she realized it was not an open mike night and would have to wait, but she did see a rather inviting loveseat. She figured after getting their coffees, her and Jesse could snuggle up on the couch as they talked.

"Hi, welcome to Micro-Delights, what can I get for you?"

Jesse could only smile down at Rachel, she had the whole 'kid in a candy store' face going on, and it was simply adorable, the girl at the counter say the internal battle in Rachel for what she wanted.

"You know, the Strawberry Cream is just delicious, so is the Chocolate Love or the Raspberry Cream, I'm a bit of a fruit fanatic though."

"I have the same tendencies, being vegan is hard, so I always like to be simple and just nibble on fruit. I think I'll go with the Strawberry Cream, Jesse next time you bring me here I want to get the Raspberry Cream."

The girl's face immediately brightened, "You're vegan too? Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one, either the people who come in and are vegan are mean or they are just pretending to be and just want to be with the latest sensation. Have you tried Devilish Delights?"

"Devilish Delights?"

"Yeah, it's new, in Uhh… Lima? I think so, anyway my friend is opening it over there, and it's going to be a complete sort of restaurant, bakery and coffee shop. I hope I can go down there some time, the amazing thing is that my friend agreed to put my pastries on display, so if you ever have a craving for my delicious recipes you only need to go there."

"Yes! I have been waiting for a vegan eatery forever! I mean sure there are some vegan options, but no real vegan place, oh I can't wait to go in there."

The girl at the counter laughed, "My name is Amanda, just take one of these cards over and Jamie will be sure to give you a discount." Amanda handed over a Micro-Delights business card with her signature on it and Rachel was quick to pocket it in her black side bag.

"Rachel and thank you so much."

"Any time, now is there anything else?"

"I would like to try the Chocolate Love, also a soy latte and whatever this lovely lady wants."

Amanda smiled turning back to Rachel, who looked at the menu, "I think I'll just have a soy latte too."

"Coming right up." The girl moved quickly grabbing two cupcakes, placed them on plates, added some napkins before working on the drinks. The girl worked fast, making quick work of the drinks that she thus did heart designs in the foam, giving Rachel and Jesse a knowing smile before setting all the food and drinks on a tray.

"That'll be $13.19."

Jesse handed her a twenty, Rachel had taken the tray, making sure she could claim the loveseat before any other couples, Amanda went to hand Jesse back the change, but he shook his head.

"Keep it." He had a happy smile on his lips looking over at the brunette beauty that could possibly be his once more.

Amanda smiled a knowing smile, "She's a keeper, and you both make the perfect couple."

Jesse didn't correct her, just smiled before walking off to join Rachel, who was sitting down; sipping on the delicious caffeinated beverage and her eyes couldn't help, but brighten when she saw Jesse walking over.

"What were you talking about with Amanda?"

"She was just telling me you were a keeper and that we were a perfect couple."

Rachel's cheeks went red for what must have been the millionth time today, yet a smile still found it's way to her lips, showing she had no real problem with someone thinking they were a couple.

"She's right, I am a keeper."

They both laughed, if there had been any awkwardness still lingering, it was most definitely gone then, but they both had already realized it felt as if no time had passed. Their love was rekindled, stronger this time than before as they joked and played, feeding each other and snuggling on the couch, neither wanting to leave when they realized the food was gone. Jesse checked his watch, it was only 5:00 o'clock and he would only end up having about another hour left with Rachel, that being the drive to take her home.

"You ready to go?"

Rachel looked up at him, from her spot curled up into him, his arm around her shoulder as she absently played with his jacket and she gave him a cute pout.

"If we leave does that mean you have to go soon?"

"Well, I figured I'd drop you off at home and given your fathers will be home in two or so hours then yes, I don't think they would be happy to know that you spent your whole day with me."

"I never told them…"

He in no way wanted the evening to end, but he knew he should do the right thing, internally fighting, deciding to do the right thing by both telling Rachel's fathers about the egg fiasco, but still the idea of being without her created an empty feeling inside. He sighed, his emotions and the pout combined with her sad eyes were almost too much to resist, "Rachel, later on if you want to get back together, then we need to tell your fathers, I want us all to start on a new beginning with everything known."

"I know.", She sighed with sadness dancing in her eyes as the tears that graced the rim of her big brown eyes threatened to fall, unhappy with the prospect of having to be without him.

"What should we tell my dads about us?"

Their future could rest within this question, were they ready to be together again or were they both trying to rush into something, once again following their impulses? He didn't know what to say, while his heart screamed to yell 'We're together! I love you!' his mind demanded him to think about it. He knew letting the silence between them grow was not the best of options and forced him to do something that was difficult for the both of them, trying to express their feelings without song.

"I want to be with you and nothing could make me happier than to be your boyfriend."

Rachel immediately brightened, the tears gone as she stared into his blue eyes, her own sparkled with joy and as she opened her mouth to speak, he interrupted.

"But I don't want to rush into this, I want us to work out more than anything and I want our relationship to start the right way, unlike before."

She was still smiling, "Okay, then that is exactly what we will tell my dads and you will be taking me out on a date tomorrow."

He shook his head, laughing slightly, as he took the tray back to the counter, Amanda smiling at the couple as they exited the store, Jesse instinctively took off his jacket placing it on Rachel's petite frame and they made their way back to the Range Rover. While Rachel felt bad for Jesse being cold, she still found some delight in the fact that she got to wear his coat that had the amazing blend of smells that was so him and it had picked up a hint of a coffee smell from the coffee shop. Jesse turned the heater up a bit, before he pulled out of the parking spot, heading back towards Lima, his mind full of thoughts on how wonderfully this evening went, he had figured he'd be making this journey back to Lima alone.

"So how has the new year been going, obviously you got a few new people, the girl with those big glasses and then Ken. Anything interesting happen in glee?"

Rachel almost laughed, staring at him, still able to see him as the sun was setting, thinking that maybe she could convince him to stay up so they could see the same sun rise.

"Isn't there always something interesting happening in glee?"

"I guess so, now spill I want to know all that has gone on in your life."

Rachel smiled, recalling her memories, until she remembered the Sunshine debacle, she wasn't sure how Jesse would react when he found out how innocent and sweet she really wasn't. Almost immediately Jesse knew there was something wrong, he turned to look at Rachel, a flash of regret on her face and then a flash of fear as she internally battled, this time a much bigger decision than which cupcake to get.

He grabbed her hand, caressing her skin softly, turning to look at her, right into her eyes, those brown eyes he had spent dreaming about and now he got to gaze into them again. "You can always tell me anything Rachel; I'm not going to judge you."

"I did something really bad, like horrible."

He smiled, "Remember when I said you were more of a drama queen than I am. It's true, Rachel, just know that no matter what you do, it wouldn't effect how I think of you, I know the real you, so don't even try to think I'm like any of your glee mates who probably didn't understand."

Rachel chanced a glance over at him; they met eyes, her doubt and worry washed away as she let out a sigh. "I kind of sent a girl to a crack house, not an active crack house, because I thought she would be competition for me, I already share the stage with so many others and I don't know I just want to be the best. I want to be the reason why we win."

Jesse smiled, glancing at her, careful to actually pay attention to the road, "I understand. I don't know this girl, but I know you and I know that you are better than her, you deserve center stage, and no one should deny you that right."

"So… you don't think it was horrible?"

"Not at all, I've witnessed and done much worse."

"Oh really, I doubt that!"

"You said it wasn't an active crack house one, but I have done worse. I told one guy back in junior year, it was mandatory that all Vocal Adrenaline auditions are to be performed out on the field. I neglected to mention that the football team would be practicing, so while the guy started singing only minutes later did the team come out for practice. To make it short the football players didn't appreciate it and decided to beat some sense into him, the coach showed up and broke it up, but the guy never showed up in the auditorium again."

"How did your teammates react?"

He chanced another glance at her face, a hurt expression had adorn it, her eyes dark with regret and pain, obviously her teammates weren't as understanding as his had been.

"They understood why I did it, they would do the same thing, so they couldn't very well have been angry at me and as long as we were winning they didn't care."

Rachel laughed, but this one was tainted with a bitter edge, obviously whatever her teammates had done still affected her, sometimes words create deeper scars than intended.

"Why doesn't New Directions see it like that?"

"Because everyone in New Directions actually cares about others, while Vocal Adrenaline only cares about winning and will let nothing stop them from accomplishing their goal."

He glimpsed at Rachel, a question lingering on her lips, yet to fall, but he already knew what she was going to say, their way of thinking was so akin to each other.

"I know it's hard for you to share the stage with anyone else, but just know that this is their only shot to be in the limelight, while you, you're going to be on Broadway. You're going to be making your dreams come true, so for now you can be generous and willing to share the stage."

He saw Rachel's face brightening immediately, her old determination back, she had missed him, always understanding her mood, her unasked questions and always knowing what to say to cheer her up.

"Do you really think I'll make it to Broadway?"

Jesse laughed and she couldn't help, but join in, the laughter infectious as was the goofy smile they both had on their faces.

"You are joking, right? In a few years your name will be up in lights, I have no doubt about it and you will have all your dreams come true."

She smiled, yet a few unsaid words were still on her tongue, but she knew it was a little too early to admit everything, to admit he was one of her dreams. She squeezed his hand, he looked at her once more, unable to believe how stupid he had honestly been, why had he ever thought anything would be better than this.

"What else has happened? There has to be more to the Rachel Berry story."

She giggled, "This year has been quite horrible to be honest, I mean there are some good points and then some very great points, like right now. So after the new girl fiasco, the next week I had to go get my teeth whitened."

Jesse gave her an incredulous face, causing her to giggle once more.

"I know, it had something to do with genetics, but the dentist guy had us chew these pills that turned any plaque blue and my teeth all turned blue, it was embarrassing."

"I'm sorry Rachel, I still find it hard to believe, your teeth are perfect and you have impeccable hygiene routines, especially for oral hygiene!"

"I know, that's why it was embarrassing, but now my teeth are perfectly clean and white, so I have no complaints. Let's see… the week following that Finn thought he found Jesus and became all religious and that led to some awkward situations. I can't believe I let him get to second base."

The words had left her lips before she even thought about what reaction they might get from Jesse, the most noticeable reaction was the stiffening, tension filling his body infused with underlying notes of hatred and possible jealousy. He had to control his breathing and bite back his tongue, words full of hate and insult ready to fire and bash Finn Hudson. He honestly thought he might explode and go on a rant of the bad things about Finn when his hand was lifted up, Rachel placing the softest of kisses on the back of his hand and instantly his anger ebbed away.

"Don't be mad, it was a reward, plus he probably was in a bit of shock, I wanted him to raise our children in Jewish faith, but I also said I would be ready for sex and children when I was 25."

He let out a light chuckle, she followed suit, but hit him playfully. "Oh he was definitely in a state of shock, he would have said anything at that moment to make you happy and try to change your mind."

"Okay, so he did have a 'deer in headlights' kind of look, but I was being very serious, not like it matters anymore."

He let the confusion show on his face as he continued to look at her while driving, had she always been this beautiful and how had they ever gotten anywhere safely? He found it hard to look at the road for a minute, yet was perfectly content to stare at her, see the way her facial expressions changed with each one as equally dramatic as the last. "What happened?"

"He slept with Santana even though he told me he was still a virgin and then he lied about it! Everyone else knew except me, his girlfriend was the only one left out of the loop then he didn't even tell me, Santana did and he had the nerve to try and stop her from letting me find out the truth! Sorry… you probably don't want to know all about Finn and me."

"If we want to have a new start, we will have to be honest about everything that goes on in our lives, no secrets."

She felt a smile tugging at her lips until a new though popped into her head, what if Jesse had a girlfriend after they broke up or what if he had more than one. Would she really want to know about Jesse's ex-girlfriend? She knew she didn't, but she felt she should ask anyways it was the only way that everything that had happened during their break could be shared. So she took a deep breath, anxious for the answer, she felt as if her whole body had chilled, fear of the answer looming over her as she asked the question, "Did you…"

The words died before she had even half finished the sentence, yet he still knew what she meant, she wanted to know about his love life, whether he had a girlfriend while they were broken up. He looked over at her, she had tried to steel her emotions, but to no avail, she looked scared of what the answer might be, yet had a curious sparkle in her eyes.

"No, after we broke up I worked on Regionals and Nationals too much for any girlfriend, following that I haven't been able to even think about having anyone else, but you. The last girl I kissed was you, Rachel, and I tend to keep it that way."

Rachel couldn't help the smile on her face, her cheeks turning red at his statement, except this time she wasn't embarrassed and she had to admit she enjoyed knowing she was his last kiss. She always wanted it to stay that way, her being his last and him being her last, the term soul mates being the only thing that could come close to describing their feelings.

"Sorry… I just… Is it bad that I'm happy?"

"No… I should have realized you were the only one for me long before then."

She smiled, whispering out two words, "Me too."

He glanced over at her, she was uncharacteristically nervous, biting her lip and he caught her as her own eyes found their way to his, a flush rose to her cheeks as she looked away. While it was undeniably adorable, he couldn't help, but be curious as to why the completely switch in emotion and attitude.

"Jesse…. Would you stay with me until my fathers get home?"

"Of course, Rach, I'd do anything for you."

He flashed a reassuring smile, quite content with how far he'd manage to get with Rachel, happy that there was no hostility, that they could possible have a relationship once more. Both of the teens drawn back into the depths of their mind, while a few obstacles were still lying await one they would soon face in only a matter of hours. Her fathers, he could only guess what their reaction might be, and none of the guesses involved a warm reunion. Rachel looked over at Jesse, he was deep in thought, probably thinking over the same thing she was, her fathers and how they would react to his appearance. She had to admit the most likely outcome wasn't something she wanted, but she knew lying to her fathers about Jesse would end even more disastrously.

She wanted their relationship to work, that meant being honest from the very beginning, although she found the idea of telling her glee mates even worse than her fathers. Especially if she had to do that alone, she knew, even if she wished to ignore it, that Jesse would have to leave for UCLA soon. She felt a strong desire to ask Jesse to run off with her, go to New York City, live as actors and make their dreams a reality, but that was far too irresponsible and un-Berry like. Yet the prospect of not actually knowing what could happen was just as alien to her, she was always organized, composed and in control. She squeezed his hand, staring forward at the road, his silent reassurance, nothing more than squeezing her hand back, both staring forward at the unknown.


	5. All I've Ever Wanted

While Jesse couldn't deny that he had been with a quite a few girls, to put that in nicer terms than say 'he slept around', he had to admit he hardly was with them long enough to 'meet the parents'. The only girl, which he had met her parents, was the one whose hand he was currently holding, both staring up at the familiar house with mixed emotions. While neither would have expected to be with the other in this house again, both were afraid to step into said house and preferred the warmth of the Rover. Minutes trickled by of silence, both lost in their own train of thoughts, Rachel wondered how her fathers would react and if the St. James charm would be enough to win them over a second time.

"We really should go in." She looked over at him, unwilling to let go of his hand, but at the same time ready to find out exactly how her fathers will take it.

He put on his most confident smile before letting go of her hand, aware of how the small gesture of holding hands had managed to fill the emptiness he had felt ever since that idiotic moment of his. He was quick out of the car, even quicker to open her door and help her out, even if she didn't need it and just used it as an excuse to touch her again. Their hands instinctively grabbed for the other, fingers laced together once more as they walked up the few steps into her house. Nothing had changed except the weather, colder now than when he was last here, memories of his many visits here filled their minds as she opened the door. Kicking off their shoes, they quickly made their way to the couch, the chill of the night air already leaving their bodies.

Rachel found herself sitting next to him, his leg pressed against hers just like when they stayed up late watching musicals, singing along of course. The many nights he had stayed with her while her fathers were away, a normal occurrence for the Berry men. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, seeing him deep in thought, his arm having settled around her waist as she leaned back, staring at the clock. Rachel wasn't even sure when her fathers would be home, but hoped it was soon, the last thing she needed was for them to find Jesse and her in a compromising position. Which under the current circumstances would be pretty much anything that involved Jesse.

She leaned into Jesse, drawn to her equal, unable to stop the flurry of emotions inside her, voices shouting at her to 'Get it together woman!', while a long forgotten voice yelled 'Kiss him!' She was torn between her two emotions, each being equally logical in their arguments, common sense told her to sit and wait for her fathers. Yet her desire wanted nothing more than to enjoy what could be some of her last moments alone with Jesse. She had long ago forced herself to forget all desire for him, ignoring all she felt when she heard his name and made herself get over him, but it all broke as she sat curled up with him, breathing his familiar, intoxicating scent.

"What will we do if they won't let me see you?"

"We convince them otherwise, you seem to forget your fathers weren't too excited the first time we started dating because of the age difference and the whole I'm a soulless drone from Carmel."

She had to smirk at that, she had missed his humor, along with many other things, but she needed to focus, they needed a game plan.

"I'm not sure the St. James charms will work a second time, especially after we delve into why we broke up."

He chuckled, running his hand through her brown hair, "Good thing we're not relying on the old St. James charm then, huh?"

She looked up with a perplexed look, a slight pout on her lips and immediately Jesse felt the words die on his tongue. He couldn't help but lower his head, leaning down to kiss her luscious pink lips, soft, full and tasting of strawberries. She immediately responded, her hand coming to rest on the back of his neck as she let her desire overtake her. He forgot their current situation, forgot about everything but the current task of pleasing the beautiful girl before him. He easily pulled her into his lap, keeping one arm around her waist as the other took advantage of her exposed thigh, her dress having ridden up. Both teens full of blind, hot, fiery passion that overtook them, lips locked as he ran his tongue across her bottom lip, eliciting a soft moan from Rachel. He gently nibbled on her bottom lip before leaving a trail of kisses along her jaw, completely lost in the moment, a luxury he hardly ever allowed himself. She leaned her head back, exposing her neck to him before she felt bright lights against her eyelids, opening them she saw headlights.

"Jesse…" She felt him smirk against her neck, she hadn't meant to merely breathe out his name, but it was all she could muster under the current situation.

"No… Jesse… Oh…"

If he kept this up, her fathers would surely catch them, so she let herself act purely out of desperation.

"…Finn…"

He immediately stopped, his lust filled eyes returning to normal, hormones going back under control as he pulled away from Rachel's oh so tempting neck.

"What did you just say?"

He was supposed to be angry, but couldn't be as he noticed the adorable blush that adorned her cheeks, not to mention her innocent smile.

"Sorry, but my dads are pulling into the driveway."

He smirked as he stood up, taking her with him, causing a little 'eep' noise to escape from her to which he shushed as he gave her a chaste kiss on the mouth. She raised her eyebrow at him as she straightened out her dress, fixed her hair that she had to stop Jesse from running his fingers through.

"It was for good luck."

"I thought you didn't get nervous."

"I only get nervous when things have to deal with you."

She smiled, as she moved away from Jesse, reaching behind her for his hand, drawing strength from him as she heard the door open.

"Rachel! Get down here; we want to hear how Sectionals went."

"Dad, Daddy, I'm in here, I need to talk to you, it's very important."

The sound of coats being hung and shoes being taken off was heard as Jesse and Rachel waited, she desperately clung to his hand as her nerves threatened to get the best of her. Jesse ran his thumb over the back of her hand as the Berry men entered into the living room, a tension filling the space along with the simultaneous speeding up of two teens' hearts.

Hiram was the first to speak, a kind smile gracing his face as his eyes landed on the older boy behind his daughter.

"Jesse, to what do we owe this unexpected visit?" His eyes glanced at their interlocked hands, a knowing smile on his face as he looked up at Rachel.

"Yes, I would like to know why you are in my house." Leroy's face held no kindness, no understanding, merely anger and possibly dislike. Hiram took this chance to speak up.

"Why don't we all sit down?"

Leroy glanced at his spouse before giving the slightest nod and the four walked into the dining room, choosing to sit across from each other. Leroy and Hiram stared down at Jesse while they observed how Rachel turned slightly towards Jesse. Observing their body language, Leroy and Hiram noticed the way that their hands found each other on the table, the sparkle she got in her eye when their eyes met and the look of determination that was adorning her face.

"First off, why are you here in Lima, I thought you were going to be in LA going to UCLA?"

"I came back to watch Rachel perform, I couldn't miss the opportunity, even if we weren't on speaking terms, I had to try to at least right my wrong. I couldn't get over the guilt of what I did to your daughter and as I've told her, it's my one greatest regret."

"I don't know if you know this, but Rachel has yet to ever disclose the information of your break up, besides that it obviously tore her apart and left her heartbroken."

Jesse squeezed Rachel's hand, the reminder of his past foolish error still haunted him and he wished he could erase the memory, erase his mistake and take it back.

"He cracked an egg over my head, Vocal Adrenaline egged me and he was the last one to crack an egg. It was the day when I took five showers and started to pour my entire being into our performance for Regionals."

Hiram reflexively went to reach for Rachel's hand, but both his and Leroy's eyes watched as Jesse caressed her hands in his and whispered a soft 'I'm so sorry'. In that moment a smile graced their daughter's lips, one that had been absent ever since the older teen had left her life, even when she was with Finn, she never had that smile. She never had that pure look of love in her eyes, the smile of pure, untainted happiness, but now she did and Hiram realized all argument would be pointless.

"Did you break up with Finn?"

"Yes, before Sectionals I ended it with Finn, I couldn't keep up the charade any longer… I wasn't happy with him and I hope you both can understand why I want Jesse back in my life, because I don't want to be without him."

She held her stare with Leroy, who ultimately would give into her, he after all only wished for her happiness if this boy could give her that, then he wouldn't deny her that. It didn't however mean that he liked the boy and that he would let him back into her life without making sure there were no ulterior motives.

"Okay, you can see him, but we will have conditions, along with the fact that I'd like to hear the whole story. Tomorrow we will be having dinner at 5 sharp, is that understood?"

"Crystal clear, Mr. Berry, thank you very much, both of you, for a second chance."

Hiram smiled at the teens, joy practically radiating off of them as the news settled in.

"If our daughter can give you a second chance then we should as well, but it is late, so this reunion must be postponed until tomorrow."

The four stood up, Rachel threw a pleading glance at her fathers to which Hiram gave a nod.

"You can see him out, but be quick; we still want to hear about Sectionals."

Rachel blew her fathers kisses as she walked with Jesse to the door, both stalling as they slipped on their shoes, their hands refusing to release each other's. They stepped quietly out into the cold of the night air; Jesse put his arm around her waist as they walked to the door of the Range Rover.

"That went beautifully, I can't wait to have dinner with you, and I've truly missed all of this. I've missed you and now I don't ever want to let you go."

Rachel smiled as she wrapped her arms around Jesse, hugging him tightly, he was so warm despite the cold of the air and she wanted nothing more than to join him in wherever he was going.

"I missed you too and don't let go of me, I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Me either." He paused to kiss her forehead before reluctantly pulling back, having to resist the urge to kiss her lips, especially as she formed them into the world's most alluring pout. He caressed her cheek with his thumb, breathing in her scent.

"Do you really have to go?"

The question was her last ploy to try and get him to stay, a weak attempt, but she knew no matter what he really did have to go, before her fathers decided to cut their time short.

"I'll see you tomorrow and I promise to call you in the morning, but I don't wish to try your fathers' kindness and forgiving nature any more than I have today. You know it's for the best, but for now we will have to deal with our time apart, no matter how painful."

"I know… call me tonight?"

"You know I'd do anything you ask, of course I will."

"Okay, I'll be waiting for the call."

He planted another kiss on her forehead before they parted, both going on their separate ways, Rachel standing in the cold while she watched the boy she love drive away, temporarily this time. She waved until she could no longer see the bright light of his taillights. She pulled Jesse's jacket closer to her, not feeling a bit guilty about stealing his jacket, and actually enjoying wearing it again. She had to stop from daydreaming, the cold air of night was nipping at her exposed legs, and she hurried to get into the warmth that her house offered. As she closed the front door, the first thing she noticed was that she heard her fathers in the kitchen and she was pleasantly surprised by their restraint. She would at least have expected Leroy to be in the living room watching Rachel and Jesse's goodbye.

Entering into the kitchen, she saw both her fathers on the bar stools at the kitchen's island. Both of her fathers had a steaming cup of tea, while another cup sat in front of the chair that Rachel made her way to occupy. Warming her from the inside, Rachel took a sip of the hot tea that wafted off the scent of chamomile.

"So, how was Sectionals?"

"Honestly, it was amazing, Jesse had shown up to watch me perform and was quite upset that I wasn't given the spotlight. He had quite a few critical comments about Mr. Schuester and his choice of people to spotlight. However, Jesse decided since I was wrongfully chosen to sway in the background that he would make it up to me by letting us have our own duet. We attracted quite the crowd outside of Jesse's car. The best part was close between when Jesse got my attention very sneakily, by catching my eye after Sectionals. He led me to an empty ballroom at the center and we sang a duet of 'Hello', which is our song. The other best part was when he took me to the new café that is totally vegan. I couldn't believe he remembered, Finn never acknowledged my eating preferences."

Leroy let out a laugh, which caused both Hiram and Rachel to stare at him, "Rachel as much as I hate to admit it, Jesse really cares about you; he cares about you much more than that twit Finn."

Rachel giggled before playfully hitting Leroy on the arm, "I thought you liked Finn!"

Hiram rolled his eyes before answering, "Honey, we would try to like anyone you cared about and made you happy."

Leroy nodded, "Now since we are completely off topic of Sectionals, I would like to hear about the actual performance and not how some boy is trying to woo my daughter."

Rachel blushed, "Oh it was as good as any performance where I am to sway in the background can be. We did tie with the Warblers, so we will be competing against Kurt again at Regionals."

"Well we know that New Directions wouldn't win without you being the one with the solo or duet."

Hiram cleaned up the empty cups of tea while Rachel said her goodnights to Leroy before she did the same to Hiram. She quickly made her way upstairs, closing her bedroom door as she went into her bathroom to change and get ready for bed. She turned on her stereo to hear 'Hello' play as she set her phone on the counter as she did her normal before bed rituals.


End file.
